Winter Veggies

Vegetable gardening is a real challenge.  Honestly, I don't know how farmers are able to stand the stress of it.  Sometimes there is not enough rain, then there is too much.  The temperature is usually perfect until the flowers form, then it gets too hot or too cold.  The weather is one thing, but then there are the garden pests and diseases.  Growing vegetables is not easy.

The fall garden started off with a lot of promise.  The seedlings sprouted just as they should and soon flowers bloomed and then fruit began to set.  I know this is a normal process, but to me it was quite amazing.

The cherry tomatoes were the first to produce giving me a handful of harvest just about every day.  The larger "slicing" tomatoes had just begun to produce a few green tomatoes when the first of the December freezes hit.  Those tomatoes were picked green and ripened on the kitchen window sill.  Now, the tomatoes you see in the above pictures are just about ready.  I sure hope the next cold wave will not hit until they have a chance to vine-ripen.

 

A mix of lettuces were planted  and have been providing the base for most of the salads for our dinners.  I've never grown lettuce before but I plan to have some in all my future fall/winter gardens.  It grows fast, looks pretty and flourishes in the cold.  Oh, and so far, no pests or diseases.

 

Here is an eggplant putting out blooms!  This is one of two eggplants left over from the spring garden.   The "spring garden" was not very successful.  There seem to be more flowers on this eggplant now than the first time around.  This is not a cold weather vegetable so I will be very surprised if I actually get any eggplant to harvest. 

 

I may not be able to feed the family from my farming efforts, but it sure is fun dabbling in vegetable gardening.